Bloodred Sky
by Faunamon
Summary: Ruth Ellison, a Christian girl living in the 1600s, becomes a vampire and taken to Volterra, where she is renamed Ruby and forced to kill. A guilty Ruby turns to a golden-eyed visitor for help and sees a chance for a new life - if she dares to leave.
1. Preface

**Bloodred Sky**

**PREFACE**

There are only two things left in the world that I cherish – the cross around my neck and the love in my heart. Everything else I've ever loved is gone, and when I consider all that I have done while serving the monster, I can barely even love myself.

Of course, the necklace itself is not as important as what it symbolizes – not only my religion, but my previous life and what I wish I could still be. As for my love, well… I might simply be in denial that it was killed long ago.

The love is still there, but it hurts to even think about; I know that it is now pointless to hold for any longer. Still, whenever I think of that name, I can feel it fluttering about – weakly, but still noticeable. Maybe it isn't dead just yet… but wouldn't it be better for me if it were?

I hardly know what to believe anymore, or what to even feel. Should I throw away my love? Should I continue to hate myself? These answers are the most logical, the most reasonable, but also the most painful.

What I was about to do was stupid. What I was about to do was reckless. But at the same time, what I was about to do was vital, important, and even essential if I were to ever be at peace with myself again.

Taking a deep, yet unnecessary breath, I walked towards the trio of fiends, ready to confront the monster at last.


	2. Chapter 1: Changed

**Bloodred Sky**

**I wasn't originally planning on including an author's note, but I need to address a few important points. The note is long (and unfortunately I use my "writer's language," so I look a bit pretentious), but please pay attention to it anyways.**

**This chapter was so hard to perfect. I wanted to convey my heroine as a very religious and moral person, and this is one of her most dominant and obvious character traits throughout the story due to circumstances, but because it is such a prominent trait I tried not to make her one-dimensional. I, myself, am also very serious about my Christianity and can tell you that I definitely do have a lot of morals, and I think that if I was in the same situation as Ruby, I would have a very similar reaction. On another note, I couldn't remember anything about Volterra and did not have access to New Moon for a few days, which was another reason for this chapter's delay.**

**Speaking of Volterra, please keep in mind that this takes place in the 1600's, and their "headquarters" is **_**very **_**different than it appeared in New Moon!**

**I also have another Twilight fic developing in my brain, about a character that is semi-canon (once the story is released, you'll understand what I mean by that). He is a very dear character to me and I'm looking forward to sharing him with you. Finally, on a much smaller note, I updated the summary slightly so that it displays the two most important canon characters in the search engine, and corrected a name error.**

**I really hope you like Ruby. I'm quite fond of her myself, but on the other hand I **_**am **_**the one who thought her up. Then again, I don't even like **_**all **_**of my characters, so maybe you'll like her, too. You may now, hopefully, enjoy Bloodred Sky!**

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**CHAPTER ONE: CHANGED**

When I was still human, I lived in 17th century England. My name was Ruth Ellison, and to my knowledge, I was twenty years old on the day when I was changed. The year, I believe, was 1697.

Those memories are quite fuzzy now, however, and so during my recollection of my early years, please forgive me if I cannot remember some of the details. It has been such a long time since I was human, after all, and most of our kind have trouble remembering such early specifics.

When I was human, I practically grew up inside my town's church, and my beliefs were strong from the time I was very small. As a result, I developed a very tight sense of morals that I still have to this day. In fact, I think that since my change, these morals have grown stronger, as well as my desire to maintain them. I find this both a blessing and a challenge – usually, given my new nature, a challenge. All of the others think that I am strange, but I think that some of the things they do are horrifying and terrible. We are constantly bantering back and forth about our conflicting values – but I am straying from the point. For you to truly understand how I became what I am now, I need to tell you more about my human life.

I remember being told from the time I was only ten that my presence made others feel safe. Everyone seemed to believe that I could somehow protect them from everything, although I was quite a small girl. As I grew, I became taller and more dignified, but I still could not understand why everyone seemed to feel so protected when near me. Even more oddly was the fact that I almost never felt calm – not now that I was twenty, and my father was beginning to talk of an arranged marriage for me.

My father had said something to the effect of, "You're twenty years old now, Ruth, and almost all of the other girls in town have married before you. Didn't your friend Sarah wed when she was only thirteen?"

I vaguely remember being somewhat confused by this question, if only because Sarah and I could hardly be called "friends;" in fact, I don't think I had had a real conversation with her in years by this time. It was true, however, that she had been married the day before her fourteenth birthday, and that most of the other girls who lived nearby had married at similar ages. In fact, the only reason my father had not arranged a wedding for me yet was because there were very few unmarried men left in the area, and the ones that he could find were quite unsuitable. Although my father insisted upon finding a husband for me often, he truly did care about my feelings and did not want me to marry someone he deemed unworthy.

It was only occasionally that he still looked, and when he did so, I would usually go off by myself to sit beside my favorite tree, one that rested at the very edge of my father's property, and stare up at the sky. Sometimes I thought about what my father was doing, but most of the time I tried to distract myself by searching for shapes among the clouds. I always went to this particular tree because it was well hidden among many other trees and bushes, and there no one could find me – it seemed that I was always being asked to do _something_, and I relished my opportunities to escape.

One day, however, someone did find me.

My father had just left, and I was only beginning to look up towards the sky when I heard footsteps. At least, I thought they were footsteps; they were so very soft, almost noiseless, that I could not easily tell. I held my breath, trying to make as little noise as possible, hoping that the stranger – if they existed – would simply pass me by.

They did not pass me by.

As I sat with my back pressed forcefully against the tree trunk, drawing myself up so that I was as small as possible, a man strode into view from behind a large oak. He was tall, with an olive complexion that somehow managed to have an incredible pallor to it. His dark hair waved to his shoulders, and his facial features were the most attractive I had ever seen, although they were somewhat difficult to make out in the shade of the miniature forest that surrounded us, allowing no sunlight to filter through.

There were two things about him that caught my attention this most. For one thing, he was dressed all in a smoky black cloak, swirling about its feet, hood down to reveal his dazzling face.

More startlingly, his eyes were a deep burgundy red.

I scrambled in a backwards motion, although I was too close to the tree to go anywhere, my heart beating at twice the normal rate. _Is he a demon? _I thought, terrified. His eyes and choice of clothing seemed to suggest nothing less.

The man smiled at me, showing dazzlingly white teeth. "Hello," he said, his voice soft and melodic, his tone polite. "My name is Demetri. And what is yours?"

"Ruth," I squeaked out automatically; mentally, I threatened to slap myself for answering. If this man really was a demon, who knew what he would do with me? I cowered even lower.

Demetri's smile grew wider. "Hello, Ruth. What's wrong – are you frightened?" he asked, his voice seeming legitimately concerned; I didn't trust it. "Don't be afraid, please. I know that my clothing and eyes must seem strange to you, but I promise, there is an explanation." After a short pause, he continued. "I have come because I heard a rumor in town."

I gulped. "R-rumor?"

Demetri nodded. "Yes. I have heard that there is a woman named Ruth Ellison in this area, a woman who possesses a… certain ability."

"And… what ability would that be?"

Demetri walked closer, and I shut my eyes tight. "I have heard that, whenever you are near, anyone who is close by will always feel safe, despite any circumstance."

I don't remember what I said next, or if I even said anything at all. My next memory is of Demetri grabbing me suddenly and slinging me over his shoulder.

And then came the running.

When Demetri ran, he was faster than I could believe, although I take our speed for granted now. It was too fast, and I threw up; Demetri was slightly annoyed, but only made a long-forgotten comment through gritted teeth and ran on. I loosely remember traveling through the water at one point; Demetri held me above the water effortlessly with one arm as he swam. Then we were running again, and we just kept doing so for hours and hours. I was terrified at first and got sick a few more times, but after the first hour I simply numbed, feeling nothing either physically or emotionally.

Suddenly, after I'd begun to think that we would run forever, Demetri stopped. Looking up from my position slung over his back, I could see a large clock tower looking over us. We were in its shadow, and the sun appeared to be setting overhead.

"He we are," he announced, sounding slightly proud. He brought me gently down from his shoulder to cradle me in his arms – although I tried to escape, he held on tighter than should have been possible, especially since it was not causing me any actual pain.

From this angle, I could see that we were in the main square of a sienna-colored city – a very small and dark main square. I could see no way to exit the square but dark streets and narrow alleyways, and the entire place gave me a feeling of dread. The ancient-looking buildings were a strange combination of medieval and Renaissance, and they helped to convey the ominious feeling. "Where are we?" I asked breathlessly, after I had given up my struggle.

Demetri looked down at me and smiled, this time without showing his teeth. "Piazza dei Priori – in Volterra, Italy."

"Italy?" I gasped. "Impossible! We were just in England… well, it must have only been a few hours ago!"

Demetri nodded. "Yes, well, when you are of… my kind, you travel faster than the average man."

Tears beginning to form in my eyes, I finally gathered up the courage to ask him, "Are you a demon?"

Demetri cracked a wide grin. "No, my dear, but I will admit to being something other than human."

"And… that might be?"

Demetri frowned. "I can't tell you _that_, I'm afraid. Not unless Aro approves of you, that is."

"Approves of me?" I raised an eyebrow. "Approves of me for _what_? And who is this Aro? Is he… like you?"

Demetri did not answer.

"I need to know what you are, Demetri," I said. Although I tried my hardest to sound brave and confident, I am almost certain that my voice cracked. Tears had begun to stream down my face, and the sillier part of my mind was still embarrassed at the thought of becoming blotchy and messy in front of such a handsome man. I shook my head, berating myself for being so stupid.

"In due time, my dear – if it is your fate to know." I realized that despite the over-dramatic quality of these words, Demetri was completely serious.

"My father will track you down if you don't take me home," I warned him, sniffling like a small child.

"And how will he do that, exactly?"

I paused for a moment. I had known in my heart that it was not really possible for my father to find me – not if we really were in Italy – but it had seemed like an appropriate threat at the time. Seeing no suitable answer, I resumed kicking and flailing. "Just put me down!" I demanded.

Demetri shook his head. "I am sorry, but I cannot."

"I can find my own way home!" I insisted. "Even it takes me years, decades –if it were possible to search for centuries, I would! I'll run away, and you won't be able to do anything about it."

The look in Demetri's eyes was almost sorrowful as he stared down at me. "My dear Ruth, whatever happens tonight, I can most certainly assure you that you will _not _be running away."

A chill ran down my spine. This man, or whatever he was, clearly meant every word he said. The possibility that he was mad crept into my head – that we were not in Italy, and he was truly human. But that simply couldn't be. His burgundy eyes and incredible running speed were proof enough that he was something… more.

"We will go to see Aro now," Demetri said suddenly, and began to walk. He turned into a small brick alleyway that was just beside the clock tower, but I wasn't done asking questions yet.

"And what if this Aro doesn't approve of me? Will I be able to go home?" I was sobbing now, and I didn't care. Sobbing was quite appropriate, given the situation.

Demetri shrugged, and the motion carried me briefly upwards. "Unfortunately, we do have rules about what to do in that exact situation, and…" He trailed off.

The word _unfortunately _made me shiver – or maybe it was Demetri's skin, incredibly chilly even beneath the layers of his cloak.

Demetri continued to walk for quite some time, and we were silent, until he stopped at the end of the alleyway. There was nothing there excepting a brick wall and a very small drain in the ground. I wondered what he would do next – scale the wall? For all I knew, he could fly.

Demetri leaned down and whispered in my ear. "You may wish to close your eyes."

Reluctantly, I did so. I heard a grate being moved aside, and then suddenly we were falling. It was a short fall, but a terrifying one all the same, and I could see why Demetri would have advised me not to look.

I didn't open my eyes again, even after Demetri assured me that it was alright. I could tell that we were underground, and even my mysterious captor's silent feet were making a squishing sound against something wet. It felt like we were going downwards, and I wondered where he was taking me. Wherever it was, it was freezing cold, and the ocean water that still lingered on my clothing was not helping matters. For that matter, neither were Demetri's arms.

Eventually, I thought I heard something else metallic being moved, but I dared not look. Only when I heard the sound of a wooden door being slammed behind us did I decide to open my eyes.

Demetri had turned to bolt the door, and I craned my neck to look behind us. We were in a hallway, which seemed as if it could have been found in any old building – nothing was unusual or remarkable about it, other than the sheer number of candles that lit its interior.

Demetri took me to a wooden staircase and began to climb swiftly. Once we arrived at the top, we stood in a gigantic room, which despite having no windows was heavily furnished. Famous and expensive-looking paintings hung everywhere, and a vase of colorful flowers sat on every desk. Behind one of these desks sat a man with dark brown hair; he looked up and smiled cheerfully, and I could see that his eyes were green instead of red. Could he have been human, like me?

"Greetings, Demetri," the man called. His accent was English, and I wondered if he had also been kidnapped for whatever reason I had been.

"Greetings, Charles," Demetri replied.

"Are you going to see Aro?" Charles asked. Demetri nodded, and Charles continued, "I'd appreciate it a lot if you would ask him about me."

"I will," Demetri assured him. He scanned the room until his eyes came to rest on a very large door, which we subsequently entered. There was another hallway, and at the end, doors completely covered in gold. I marveled, having never seen such a thing in my life, but we never made it these doors. I don't remember exactly how Demetri exposed the hidden door that we entered, but everything after that has remained somewhat clearer than my other memories.

We went through a small stone room, and then we were there.

The room that I presumed belonged to Aro was very large and very round. I could see highly-placed, beautiful stained glass windows that, during the day, would have allowed colored light to filter into the room and decorate the sienna stone floor. Looking down, I noticed another drain in the middle of the floor. I glanced back up again to realize that the room was filled with what appeared to be wooden thrones.

The room way filled with many people – some dressed in cloaks like Demetri, and some in commonplace apparel, but all pale and all beautiful. A tall, thin woman, clothed only in an everyday dress, dashed towards us. I wondered if she was human until her speed really began to pick up, and when she stopped in front of us I noticed her bright red eyes, much lighter in shade than Demetri's. Her hair was golden and hung away in ringlets, her lips full, and her eyes wide and childlike. Her long nose added an air of elegance to her face, making it look less like that of a small girl and allowing it to match better with her graceful body.

"Demetri, have you actually found one this time?" the woman asked, her tone chiding and disbelieving all at once. Her voice was a lovely alto with a beautiful, chiming ring, rich and warm.

"I believe so," my captor replied. "You doubt me too much, Catherine."

"As do Margaret, Millicent, Lawrence, Miles, Temperance… the list goes on, really."

"And I don't need to hear it today," Demetri said. "Besides, Temperance and Miles hardly count, because both are raving lunatics."

Catherine looked offended, but I never got to find out why. Demetri gently shoved past her and walked towards one of the cloaked figures. As we approached him, I saw that he had long black hair and surprisingly unusual skin. Like everyone else in the room, he was beautiful and pale. But unlike the others, he was translucent, and instead of appearing hard and streamlined, it seemed that one touch might break him.

"Aro," Demetri greeted the lucid man, respect coloring his voice. I trembled with fear. Even if I didn't know who this Aro was, it was clear from the way Demetri spoke and from how his body tensed that the breakable-looking man was someone to be feared; highly feared.

"Demetri!" Aro exclaimed, clapping his hands together in delight. "I see you have brought someone back! Is she going to be for dinner?"

These words were so unexpected, so horrifying, so terrible… so _inhuman _that I almost got sick on Demetri again.

I imagined Demetri shaking his head as he replied, "No, Aro, not this time – that is, not if you approve of her joining the guard."

Joining _what_?

Aro frowned. "Demetri, you know that we have certain… standards. This girl does not appear as if she could hurt the smallest of insects."

"Perhaps she would not make a strong fighter," Demetri conceded, "but I had something else in mind for her entirely. This young woman possesses an incredible skill, one that I think you will agree we can put to good use." After a dramatic pause, Demetri continued. "She has the ability to make anyone feel safe in her presence. Anyone! Besides that, from the rumors I've heard, it doesn't matter what the situation is. Someone could be about to be mauled by a pack of wolves, and they would not fear if Miss Ruth was with them! Imagine how convenient this would be during combat. If our opponents were feeling particularly defiant and tried to fight back, Ruth would make them feel as though there was no need. We could use her for smaller things as well – calming down our meals so that when Catherine and Margaret bring in particularly large crowds, none of them shall manage to escape."

I had no idea what he was going on about, but it frightened me. Even more terrifying was that Aro's eyes – very dark instead of red – lit up more and more as Demetri talked.

"She could be _very _useful!" he agreed once Demetri was done. "But first, I must verify these rumors." Unexpectedly, Aro grabbed my hand. I was terrified, but Demetri's iron arms kept me locked into place, and I could not even pull away. Aro seemed to be in another world, his eyes glazing over until finally he released me. "Remarkable!" he cried, seeming truly astonished about something.

"Shall we make the change?" Demetri asked, sounding eager to hear the answer.

"Yes, we shall," Aro agreed, and my heart lurched. I still didn't know what either of them was talking about, but it all sounded very sinister, and I knew that I did _not _want to be a part of it. "I shall not do it myself, however," Aro mused, sounding more like he was talking to himself than to Demetri or me. "I am far too hungry, and I doubt I would be able to control myself."

"Have Catherine do it," Demetri offered. "She's doubted me for far too long, and I think it's time she realizes I was right for once."

"Not Catherine," Aro disagreed. "She is too new – she has only been with us for five months, after all. Temperance would be a much better choice, but unfortunately she is hunting as we speak…"

"Take your time and think about it," encouraged Demetri. "Oh, and Charles wanted to know if…"

"Yes, yes, of course! He has displayed his skills and his loyalty time and time again, and I do believe that he is ready. And besides that, we've just lost Agnes… Not today, however – we don't need him conflicting with Ruth. It would be too soon to introduce them to each other directly after the change."

"I agree." A few moments of silence passed. "Aro, have you made a decision yet?"

Aro nodded. "Demetri. I think you should do it. You are, after all, older, and have recently fed. And she _was _your discovery." Aro's mouth slowly formed a wide, frightening grin as he stretched his hand towards me again. "What lovely hair," he murmured, grasping one of my blonde curls and pulling it towards him. I shuddered, and he placed both cold hands on my face, cupping my chin within them. "Soft skin, beautiful features – it's a shame those brown eyes will be lost! Oh well," he sighed, gliding away. "Demetri?"

Demetri smiled apologetically. "I do hope that you don't hold the pain against me, my dear – we've all had to endure it."

He laid me on the ground and leaned towards me, placing his mouth on my neck. His cold, stone-hard lips parted, and a million thoughts raced through my mind at once. What was he doing? It felt almost like a kiss from a marble statue, but something told me that something more was about to happen. I felt many emotions consecutively, most of them variants of fear.

It seemed like an eternity, but it was really only a moment later that suddenly, Demetri was _biting _me. Yes, that's right – biting. His teeth were so sharp; they tore through my skin, and I almost thought that he seemed to deliberately taste the blood beneath. And then the pain began, a vicious fire spreading throughout my whole body, and uncontrollable poison. As Demetri pulled away, I began to thrash, my legs kicking out and my arms flailing. At one point, I _think _that my foot shot towards Demetri's face, but if it did, he didn't seem to notice at all.

In that moment, I knew what they were. The word _vampire _had not become popularized quite yet, but I had heard the legends before, mostly when I was a child. Sarah, my not-friend who had married young, had been particularly frightened of them when small.

The last thing I remember before the pain completely took over was Catherine, coming to stand beside me – just watching.

I don't know how long the pain lasted, how long the fire burned, how long the poison spread. All I know is that it ended very suddenly, and then a new kind of fire began.

A fire in my throat – the fire of thirst.


	3. Chapter 2: Monster

**Bloodred Sky**

**CHAPTER TWO: MONSTER**

I gasped. My throat felt incredibly dry. I gasped again, more loudly; I wanted to scream, but I simply couldn't. I could hear voices and understand the words they were saying, but it was difficult to concentrate on them because of the intense burning in my mouth.

"What's wrong with her?" the male voice asked, sounding alarmed.

"She's thirsty, stupid," a female voice replied with clear contempt.

"I know that," sighed the male. "But should she be _this _thirsty, so soon after the change? She still has her own human blood in her system, after all."

I sat up then, gasping, clutching my throat. I had been moved – when Demetri bit me, I had been lying on the floor. Now, I was on a bed in a tiny, dimly lit room with only one stained glass window. Under normal circumstance, I probably would have demanded to know where I was, or _what _I was. But with the fire of thirst in my throat, I couldn't concentrate on much else.

I could see now that the two who had been speaking were Demetri and Catherine, but I didn't particularly care at the time. "Help me," I gasped. "I feel… I feel…"

Catherine and Demetri looked at each other, worry plain on both of their faces. Finally, Demetri turned to me and said, "I'm sorry, my dear, but it's still daylight. We can't go out at this time, and even if we could, Catherine and Margaret are in charge of bringing home dinner."

"We can go out later today," Catherine offered, though her eyes still showed no hints of friendliness toward the vampire who had changed me. "Ruth is going to need some fresh blood in her soon – after all, we still have to tell her about her purpose."

"Ah, yes," Demetri agreed. Leaning towards me, he asked, "Miss Ruth, I assume you want to know why we have brought you here? Why we have done this to you?"

My hands had never moved from around my neck. "Thirsty," I managed to say between rapid gasps. "So… thirsty." It was true – my thirst cancelled out all my reason. Of course, in the rational part of my mind, I wanted to know why I was here, why I had become a…

But the fire of thirst was so great that at the moment, I didn't think I wanted anything but for it to go away.

I sat there on the bed, gasping in pain, for a very long time. Eventually, Catherine left the room; Demetri stayed, although it was clear from the way he awkwardly looked at everything but me that he had no idea what to do. More than once he turned to face me and opened his mouth, as if to speak, but seemed to think the better of it and promptly tuned away. It was just as well- I wouldn't have been able to respond.

I can't say for certain how long the thirst lasted. At the time, it seemed like a century, but now that I know how the passing of a century truly feels, I now think it actually felt more like a millennium. Once a true millennium has passed for me, I'm sure I'll change my mind again.

Just when I thought I was truly about to die – though at the time, I wasn't even sure I _could _die anymore – Demetri suddenly stood up, quite rapidly. "They're back," he said. I could vaguely remember what he'd said earlier, about Catherine and Margaret going out to get food…

All at once I was in his arms yet again, and we returned to the large, round room. There were so many of our kind there, gathered together in one large group rather than the small, individual clusters I remembered. They appeared to be hiding in a shadow – had I been able to think clearly, I would have been surprised that it was nighttime already.

In the center of the room stood Catherine and another woman, a brunette. My thirst was so great that I was unable to concentrate on the details of her face. Only one thing caught my attention –a warm, rich, delicious scent… for Catherine and the other woman had brought with them a very large crowd of regular humans.

They smelled delicious.

I wanted so desperately to leap from Demetri's arms and lunge at one of them – any one of them. Somehow, I knew it would make the thirst go away. But Demetri would not let me – just as the day he had found me, he held me tightly in his iron arms while he struggled. The only difference was that with my newfound strength, I almost escaped at least once.

There were only three of us, other than the two women, who were not hidden in the shadows. Aro stood in the center of the trio, as expected; to his left was a dark-haired man, very similar looking to Aro in all aspects but the face, and to his right stood a man with snowy white hair. Aro stepped forward delightedly and said a few words to the crowd, who seemed to sense nothing strange. Some of them were still admiring the room, oblivious to what I would soon discover was their fate.

I saw all this, but I took none of it in. It was only when the figures in the shadows began to rush out and Demetri set me gently on the ground that I cared about anything. Demetri took off towards the humans as soon as he put me down, and I wasn't far behind. I ran faster than I would have ever dreamed possible, pushing Demetri and a few others out of my way in my haste. I ignored their frustrated snarls as I leaped forward and sank my teeth into the neck of the nearest unfortunate person.

Blood flowed out.

I'll spare you the details of what happened next. I will, however, say this – I couldn't stop. I don't know how long it took until I was full, but it certainly took a while before I was satisfied. I think I might have continued for a moment even _after _I was full. Then the next thing I knew, I was sane again.

Dried-out bodies were everywhere, and Demetri and I were the only living ones who had remained in the room after the carnage.

I couldn't believe what I had just done.

Staring wide-eyed at the body in front of me, I didn't dare myself to move. I didn't even breathe – not that I had to. I felt a hand touch my shoulder, and a voice said, "Ruth?"

I screamed. It was a long, drawn-out scream, and a loud one at that. No one rushed in to see what was wrong, most likely because they already knew.

It should be noted that I was beginning to notice other things now that my mind was clear and the pain had subsided. For one thing, I could see everything much more clearly, in ways I had never seen anything before. Colors were sharper, distant things were in perfect focus, and beauty was more beautiful. I noticed that I could also hear everything in the entire building, every whispered conversation or shouted order. Oddly enough, it was not distracting in the least. What was strangest was probably that I could also _smell _everything in the room.

And what speed I had used! How strong I had been!

But none of that mattered when I looked at the corpse before me. I only possessed these abilities because I was a monster.

Demetri grabbed both of my shoulders and whirled me around to face him. "You're going to have to get used to this," he told me in a soothing voice. It seemed more musical now, and his face had somehow become even _more _beautiful. "This is how we survive."

I clenched my teeth. "I am a _murderer, _Demetri. Not only do I despise myself for doing this, but I have committed a terrible sin!" My fists, too, were clenched. "How can I _possibly _be forgiven for this?"

Demetri simply stared, a sadness in his eyes that I could not understand.

"Are you going to answer me or not?" I spat, becoming rather irritated now, though the irritation was really only a disguise for my anguish. How could I have done this? And all without even thinking about it!

"Ruth," Demetri whispered. "I know this all seems terrible now… it seemed terrible to me the first time, too. But soon, it will be nothing."

An emotion burbled within me, rising from my toes to the top of my head. I wasn't sure if I had felt the emotion of hatred before, but somehow I knew for certain that I felt it now. Hatred directed towards Demetri, for bringing me here and for thinking so little of such a terrible act as killing others; towards Aro, since he seemed to be the one at least partially responsible for all of this in the first place; towards Catherine and Margaret, for bringing those people here to die; towards everyone who lived here for not bothering to question this in the slightest; but most of all, towards myself for becoming as despicable as them all.

"If that's the way you feel about it, then leave me alone!" I spat. "And don't bother speaking to me ever again."

Demetri looked away awkwardly. "Well… actually, I have orders from Aro to show you around… introduce you to life as one of the Volturi."

_Volturi._

That was the first time I ever heard the word, and it sent shivers down my spine despite the fact that it held no meaning for me at the time.

I was at a complete loss for words, and so I simply allowed myself to crumple to the floor. My hatred had suddenly vanished, replaced by something akin to mental exhaustion. The anguish was still there, churning in the back of my head, repeating the phrase _You'll never be forgiven! _in a mocking tone. "Be quiet," I whispered. "Just be _quiet._"

"I didn't say a word," breathed Demetri, sounded perplexed and concerned all at once.

"Not you," I murmured. "The voice in my head. The voice telling me that… that I've done something far too wrong."

Silence.

Demetri was suddenly much closer, his hand clasping mine. I didn't bother to shove him away as he spoke. "May I tell you a secret, Miss Ruth?"

I nodded weakly.

Demetri hesitated before continuing. "When I drink blood… No, don't pull away. Listen to what I have to say. There… Now, when I drink blood, I don't feel as… strongly as I did about it in the beginning, but my guilt has not quite gone away yet. I agree with you, Ruth… it is terrible, and it is a sin. It took me years before I could finally accept the fact that blood-drinking was essential for our species to survive, and even then..." He sighed. "I'm so sorry, Miss Ruth, but there truly is nothing we can do about it."

I looked up at Demetri's face. His beautiful burgundy eyes were sincere. I pulled myself up much slower than was necessary. After a few moments, I spoke.

"What's done is done. I will pray for forgiveness, though I can only hope I will receive it. However…" I looked down, uncertain as to how he would react to what I was about to say. "I don't think I'm going to drink again. Ever."

Demetri grabbed my chin and yanked my head up so that I could see the shocked expression on his face. "Don't say such things!" he gasped. "Do you even know the consequences of what you say you are going to do?"

I averted my gaze once again. "Not entirely. I would logically assume that it would kill me, but logic seems to hold no place in my world anymore." I remembered how quickly I had run, how strong I had been. There was nothing logical about that, not in the least.

"It won't kill you," Demetri said, "but it will weaken you until eventually you won't be able to move. And what then? You'll be forced to live with the agonizing pain of thirst for the _rest of your life._"

I winced, remembering how my throat had burned just this morning. Or had it been morning at all? It seemed so long ago and so recent, all at the same time.

But what Demetri was saying seemed to be that it would be worse – or at the very least, utterly unquenchable. I truly couldn't imagine living with that pain for the rest of my life, but what did that mean? That I was going to have to be okay with murder?

Never.

"There has to be some alternative," I protested.

"Not that I know of," Demetri replied, shaking his head.

"In that case, I don't care what happens to me." My decision came quickly, almost without any thought, but I truthfully believed it to be the correct one. "I'm not going to drink… and that's final."

Demetri's brow creased, but he said nothing. Finally dropping my hand, he stood. "Well… come on." He began to walk, heading towards the door leading out of the circular room.

"Wait!" I called, leaping to my feet in a fraction of a second. "Where are we going?"

"It's nightfall," Demetri said. He did not turn or even stop, and I hurried to catch up with him. "I can take you out into the city now."

I was confused. "Why?"

"I'm supposed to inform you about life as a member of the Volturi guard. In order to do this fully, I have to show you around our city of Volterra. It will do you good to be familiar with the area."

"What's the Volturi guard?"

Demetri looked at me for a brief moment, then turned to face forward again, his pace not slowing. "There are many of our species in the world, and unfortunately, some are not as inconspicuous as we would like. It is the job of the Volturi, and more specifically the guard, to make sure that the existence of our kind is not revealed by the more careless among us."

"What would happen if people found out about us?" I asked, genuinely curious. "I mean, it's not like they can really do anything to fight against us. We're strong, fast…"

Demetri shrugged. "That's the way it's always been. It's a lot easier to catch our prey when they are unsuspecting… it's more convenient." I shuddered. "And there _are _ways of killing us. It isn't very likely that anyone would be able to, but in great numbers… perhaps. Besides that, it's been a secret for so long that the one who ended up exposing us would likely be hated by the rest of our kind. He would be attacked, and war could break out, easily destroying us all."

I nodded slowly. "So this is pretty serious stuff, isn't it?"

"Yes. That's why we of the guard are needed, to control situations before something like that can happen. I should just go ahead and let you know – we sometimes have to kill others of our kind as well."

I stopped short, horrified. The carnage didn't even end with humans! "But… why?" I asked, at a loss for any words more profound than that.

Demetri stopped, too, and turned to face me. "Miss Ruth, sometimes… sometimes, we cannot stop them from doing reckless things that could endanger us all. Sometimes, they just don't care – or at least, they don't think things through. When that happens, we have no choice."

"I don't want any part of this guard, then," I said, and ran off in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, Demetri caught up to me soon enough and, his fingers like iron around my arm, dragged me out the door.

"Come, now, Ruth," he said through clenched teeth. "Before we leave for the city, Aro wanted to see you."

Aro. That hated person again._ I_ certainly did not want to see _him_, and I resisted the urge to growl.

I knew that I was at least a _bit _stronger and faster than Demetri and could easily break free of his grip, but honestly, what would I do after that? Somehow, I just knew that the Volturi would be able to find me if I tried to leave. And even if they couldn't, I was a monster now. Life on my own, away from those that I grudgingly accepted were my own kind, and not even knowing anything about my new state… how would I survive?

That's why I let Demetri drag me through the door that day. I sometimes still wonder what might have happened if I hadn't.

**And there we go. Chapter two was a bit shorter than chapter one… but the next chapter is when all the fun begins (and hopefully when Ruth gets her name change). I hope you'll all continue to read!**


	4. Chapter 3: Red

**Bloodred Sky**

**Ugh. I am **_**so **_**sorry I took so long with this update. I really don't have a good excuse for it, and I'm really sorry. I wanted to have it done by Halloween, but… well, that didn't happen either. But this is a story I'm not ready to give up on yet, and so I must tell it… and so I worked, and here it is.**

**I also happened to discover some **_**very **_**unfortunate errors in chapters one and two – a description of the buildings of Volterra as "medieval" rather than Renaissance and, more embarrassingly, and actual mention of **_**photography.**_** I'm not sure what I was thinking, but the errors have been fixed.**

**Now, on to chapter three at last!**

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**CHAPTER THREE: RED**

We had entered a very large chamber that I presumed was something like a bedroom – "Aro's quarters," Demetri had called it. There was no bed, however, or anything else that really suggested any kind of comfort. Bookshelves lined the expansive walls, and there was a desk in the corner. Colorful tapestries depicting various mythical creatures hung between shelves; I wondered where he had gotten them. There was no source of light, but I could see everything just as easily as if there were a million lanterns hanging from the ceiling.

Aro was sitting at the desk, and he appeared to be writing something down. I clenched as soon as I saw him, my face automatically setting into a scowl. He twisted to face us the moment we walked into the room. "Ah, Demetri!" he exclaimed, standing and clapping his hands together delightedly. "And Ruth."

I wanted to say something. I wanted to make accusations, to point my finger, to tell him that he and his "guard" had made me into a monster and that I was not happy. I wanted to demand my release, although I still had no idea how I would survive on my own if I left. I just wanted Aro to pay in some way for what he had done, even if it mean trying to figure out my transformed self alone – I could surely figure out what to actually do about it later.

Before I could make a move, however, Aro was suddenly right in front of me, clasping my chin in his hand. All thoughts of rebellion and blame were drained straight from my body, a sense of dread and discomfort replacing them. I didn't want this monster to touch me; his very fingers against my flesh made my hair stand on end. I tried to break free, but doing so only made the skin of my neck feel like it was cracking apart, and I gave up almost immediately.

"I hadn't gotten to get a good look at you yet," Aro murmured. "Since the change… the only time I've seen you since then was at the feeding, and, well… my mind was elsewhere at the time." Aro smirked, and I fought an impulse to growl. Was it wrong to hate a person this much?

"You are… lovely," Aro continued, stroking his free hand down my right cheek. I flinched. "Your blonde curls… did they get lighter in color, or a bit wavier, perhaps?" I knew that with his enhanced eyesight, Aro knew exactly what changes had and hadn't been made. "Your skin seems even smoother now! And its new ivory color is stunning. Your eyes…" he mused, "Your eyes are even more beautiful now than when they were that fascinating shade of brown. As red as a ruby…"

Something subtle changed in Aro's expression, and I had a terrible feeling in what had at least used to be my stomach. He had thought of something, and I was sure I wasn't going to like it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Demetri standing some distance away, seeming to be fixated on a tapestry hanging in the opposite direction to where Aro and I were standing. I wasn't sure what to think of this – it made me believe that he knew just how uncomfortable I was, but was afraid to inform Aro. It made me believe that he felt guilty about bringing me to this monster, and yet had no intentions to rescue me.

As Aro trailed his fingers down my cheek again, I decided that I did not blame Demetri for not wanting to get involved.

"There's just one thing," Aro said suddenly, and my focus snapped back to him faster than I would have thought possible, all thoughts of Demetri shoved into the back of my mind. "We can't very well call you Ruth, can we? After all, if a member of the guard was named Ruth, then no one would be able to say that they were ruthless anymore."

I stared, not sure what to say. Was Aro expecting me to take him _seriously_?

"No," the monster continued. "You need a more fitting name, one that truly reflects your new beauty, as well as the power and status of the Volturi as a whole." A wide grin crossed his face, and I fought the shudder that so desperately wanted to occur. "I have just the name."

He trailed his fingers along my neck now, and I had an urge to hit him hard. I bit my lip angrily, wishing that this horrible man would leave me alone. And anyways, what was wrong with the name Ruth? I liked my name just the way it was.

"You," he breathed, "will be… Ruby."

He backed away from me suddenly, his eyes shining with delight. "Ruby!" he repeated loudly, clapping his hands together again. "It's the perfect name for you, my dear. Now… I believe that Demetri is to give you a tour of the city, is he not?" He waved his hand towards the door, grinning cheerfully all the while. "Off with you!"

It all felt rather condescending.

Demetri was at my side in a moment, his fingers ever so lightly brushing my arm. It felt somehow wrong, but not as uncomfortable as if Aro had done it. "Let's go, Miss Ruth… Miss Ruby," he corrected himself, shaking his head. I nodded slowly, knowing that I must have looked quite drained, and followed him out into the hall.

Ruby. It wasn't a _terrible _name, but it did strike me as a bit odd – the practice of using "Ruby" as a given name hadn't quite begun yet at the time. I supposed that it actually did fit, given the piercing red eyes that I knew I must now have. Besides that, I didn't really feel like I was truly Ruth Ellison anymore. The "real" Ruth Ellison was not an undead killer who lived off of the blood of others – not in the least.

The real Ruth Ellison had died the moment Demetri had bitten her.

"Miss Ruby," Demetri whispered. I looked up and saw that he was already several feet away from me, but that he had stopped and was looking at me with concern. "This way, please."

I nodded hastily and followed him. We exited the main building; before leaving, Demetri stopped to tell the human named Charles that Aro had agreed to change him. I was horrified by how pleased Charles looked to hear this, but tried to push it out of my mind – I had more than enough to worry about at the moment.

When we stepped outside, the sky was a rich dark blue, almost black in appearance. I turned to Demetri and asked a question that had been on my mind for quite some time. "Why, exactly, did we have to wait for nightfall before we could leave?" Thinking back, I realized something else that hadn't really caught my attention at the time – it had been while I was still gasping with thirst on the bed in that tiny room. "You said that… that we couldn't go out in the daytime. That Catherine and Margaret had to wait before they could go get… dinner." I said the last word with a slight snarl. There was no way I'd ever be used to referring to human beings by the names of meals.

Demetri smirked, only one corner of his mouth actually turning up. "Well, you'll find _that _out later. Tonight will be your 'grand tour,' if you will… an introduction to Volterra, and to the duties of a Volturi guard. We can discuss the technicalities of our existence some other time, if you wish."

I glared at Demetri, crossing my arms. He _must _have known how terribly annoying he was.

"Come now, Miss Ruby," Demetri sighed, reaching across and grasping my hand. Before I could protest he was dragging me – at a normal human pace, I must add – down the dusky street.

We walked through the city, Demetri giving a constant narrative to explain just about everything we saw. All of it seemed to be inhumanly large, and every building was the faded red-brown color of stone.

During the tour, I learned that the tiny square with the clock tower – the place where I had first entered the Volturi building, carried in Demetri's arms like a rag doll – was called the Palazzo dei Priori. Useful enough information, I supposed. In fact, I learned the name of just about every building in the city, including some names that I suspect to this day were made up. I learned that the city was surrounded by a vast, rolling countryside – not to mention the fact that if a farmer from said countryside went missing every now and then, few people tended to notice. On a similar note, I learned that most of our "meals" would consist of visitors to the city, most of them probably hoping to become successful artists or some such thing.

I wondered if I could seek out and warn any outsiders without Aro discovering it, but I somewhat doubted that such a plan would work. For one thing, how would I know who lived in the city and who didn't? I was a newcomer myself. For another, I had a distinct feeling that Aro was _always _watching his guard, no matter what the circumstances.

Soon enough, the tour had drawn to a close. Demetri and I lingered on the side of the road, watching each other from the corners of our eyes and looking much like statues. Finally, Demetri took the three steps necessary to take my hand in his, not looking away from my face the entire time.

"You're one of us now, my dear," he whispered. "You may not like it, but you must learn your purpose."

I looked at the ground. "You're right, Demetri," I admitted. "I _don't _like it, but I don't see myself doing anything to change it." With a sigh, I lifted my head to look him in the eyes. "So, since I'm nothing but a miserable coward, why don't you just tell me what Aro expects me to do?"

Demetri reached his free hand towards my face, as if he wanted to stroke my cheek; at the last second, he seemed to think better of it and dropped his arm to his side.

"All right," he said. Now it was his turn to look at the ground, at the surrounding city, into space, anywhere but at me. "The job of the Volturi guard is to protect Aro, Marcus, and Caius at all costs, but also to, well… take care of the rougher jobs for them. We are expected to seek out lawbreaking vampires and bring them back to Aro for a trial of sorts – you probably won't believe this, Miss Ruby, but he does occasionally spare trespassers and let them go with a warning. Sometimes, he even allows them into the guard, if he thinks that their talent would be useful to us. We are also expected to seek out and destroy certain kinds of enemies, as well as to hunt for food."

None of these duties sounded particularly enjoyable to me, and I almost said so. Demetri continued speaking before I could get a word in, however, and I'm not sure I would have said anything anyway.

"Sometimes, if a vampire is breaking the law but still remaining inconspicuous enough, the guard might be sent to give him a warning and advise him to remedy the situation." The corner of Demetri's mouth twisted upwards, an ironic and grim smirk that was nowhere close to being a real smile. "Marcus likes it better that way, I think."

"You mentioned Marcus before," I realized. "And someone else… Caius? Who are they?"

"Aro's second-in-command, of sorts," Demetri explained. "They are just as much our masters as he is, although Aro is the one who tends to make the decisions. I'm sure you'll know them if you see them. They have the same kind of lucent skin as Aro, and they carry themselves much as he does. Marcus is dark-haired, and Caius's hair is white."

I nodded, remembering having seen them before. I had seen them only once, and for only a brief moment… it had been when the crowd of humans had arrived.

It had been when I'd run up to one of them and…

I couldn't think about that. It's actually a rather funny thing, self-loathing; you can't help but be miserable and angry and scared, but you always try to push these emotions away, to discount them for as long as you can until you just can't take it anymore.

With a shock, I realized that my throat had already begun to burn again.

"The funny thing," Demetri said suddenly, distracting me from my thoughts, "is that Marcus is actually celebrated as a saint by the people of Volterra."

"A _saint?_" I repeated, dumbstruck. I couldn't think of any possible reason to associate a Volturi with sainthood, to be honest.

Demetri nodded. "Some time ago he decided to earn the people's trust by pretending to drive the revenants from the city. Ironic, isn't it?" he continued with a grin. "The living dead achieving fame by chasing away the living dead."

I nodded slowly, but did not reply. A rather important question had suddenly occurred to me. "You told Aro… that my presence makes others feel safe."

"Well… yes," agreed Demetri, seeming surprised.

"Why did this seem to be of such importance to him?"

Demetri paused a bit before replying. "Well, Miss Ruby, you're not going to like the answer, I'm afraid… but if you insist, I'll tell you anyway." Another pause. "…Aro thinks that you would be useful… in subduing our enemies. For instance, let's say a large group of vampires was causing a problem. A fight with them would be messy and not really worth our time, so by exploiting this gift of yours, we could keep them calm and take care of the problem without causing too much of a scene. Also… Aro thinks that your gift could come in handy while catching prey as well. If humans felt safe around you, they would follow you without any suspicion… straight to the Volturi."

"So you're saying," I rasped, "that I am basically Aro's violence-free killing machine." The burning in my throat was getting worse. I struggled desperately to ignore it.

"Essentially… yes," admitted Demetri, shrugging ever so slightly although his face was by no means dismissive.

"And if I defy him…"

"You'll the one who will be dead," Demetri finished, confirming what I had known all along.

I was silent for quite some time before finally whispering, "Demetri… I'm thirsty."

His expression was grave, his eyes sorrowful, as he replied, "I know. In the beginning… you _always _are."

I was gasping for breath at this point, clutching at my neck almost involuntarily. "Take… take me home." I certainly hadn't _meant _to call that dreadful place home, but if my agony was to become any worse, I would have much rather been in the tiny room at the Volturi headquarters than possibly lying on the street.

Demetri nodded and scooped me into his arms without a word. We were silent the entire way back, and before I knew it, I was lying on the same bed I had found myself in after my change.

Just like the first time, I was enslaved by a fierce thirst, and I was horrified. There were only two differences – for one thing, Demetri and Catherine were not there with me. Demetri had slipped out of the room immediately after setting me on the bed, and I was glad of it. All I wanted at the moment was to be left alone.

The second difference was that this time, I was begging God for forgiveness – although considering my situation, I did not fully trust that I would be receiving it. After all, my thirst was becoming greater by the second. What if I scented a human and lost control again?

An eternity passed, or so it seemed, before Demetri silently entered the room, holding something in his hand. I jolted upright in an instant – I could smell the blood he was carrying, and it smelled delicious.

"Here," he said, crossing the room and handing me the cup. I drank greedily, and though it was not much, I felt better almost immediately.

"I explained to Aro that you were uncomfortable with killing, and he understood," Demetri explained. "He has given me permission to supply you with blood from prey that we have already killed – but only for a limited amount of time. He still believes that you should accept our ways, even if you don't like them."

I'll admit that I still felt a bit of guilt. True, I hadn't actually killed whoever had been previously filled with this blood, but they had been killed for my sake. Still, I was incredibly grateful to Demetri – monster though he might have been, he had genuinely wanted to help me and make me feel better, and I recognized this.

"Thank you," I whispered. "I'm still not entirely happy with this, but I'm glad that you at least tried to find an alternative I could accept."

Demetri sat slowly next to me, as though unsure that I would even want him to. "You're welcome, Miss Ruby," he replied. "Believe me, though, I really am sorry that you are so unhappy with your situation… but it's just the way things are, I'm afraid."

_Just the way things are._ Personally, I couldn't help but wonder why no one was even trying to change this.

Demetri stood suddenly. "Well, you'll have to come with me once again, I'm afraid," he told me. "Aro wants you to meet the rest of the guard."

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I have to apologize because I actually kind of feel like this chapter was a little boring, but next time we'll start introducing new characters and things should pick up. :)


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